Time and Hard Works Heals All Wounds
by SniperCT
Summary: A year after Kuvira's defeat, Asami still has trouble dealing with her father's death.


**_(prompt from sato-mobile on tumblr)_**

Time heals. At least that's what Asami had always been told. That gradually, over time, the old aches hurt less. The hurts scab over. You move on. She thought the whole concept was flawed. All it took was hearing the wrong thing, seeing the wrong thing, and it call came rushing back as fresh and new as the day it had happened.

She couldn't look at hummingbirds. They'd somehow become a symbol of the things that she'd lost. There were nights where she woke to the sound of metal being crushed. She didn't talk about it. She buried it. There was too much to do, plenty of things to lose herself in. And she reasoned that it shouldn't matter, why should it hurt so much when her father had hurt _her_ so badly. She didn't even have nightmares about her mother any more. It didn't seem fair.

It happened one day when she was getting lunch with everyone. A slow enough day that she could spent an hour with her best friends, and hope that maybe the Republic was finally starting to recover. Korra's hand rested on her knee as she talked animatedly, and the contact was a welcome distraction.

A loud, metallic crash startled them, and Asami's blood froze. It was a year ago again. She started to shake, staring straight ahead as that _sound_ ripped through her. She could feel the rush of air as she was ejected, her chest bruising where she'd slammed against the straps. Metal crushing metal. Her father killed, _ludicrously_, like a bug.

Asami snapped back to the present, ugly tears running down her face and staining Korra's shirt as the Avatar pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Mako, Bolin, take Opal and check that out. "

"On it."

Their voices sounded distant. Asami wondered what had happened but she couldn't stop crying. She pushed at Korra's shoulder, but Korra just hugged her tighter. "It's okay, I understand."

"What if someone is hurt?"

Korra glanced in the direction the noise had come from. "A couple of Cabbage Cars ran into each other and Mako is trying to keep the drivers from punching each other. If I'm needed they'll let me know."

That wasn't so bad then. Asami concentrated on regulating her breathing until she felt much more calm. "I'm so sorry. It's just… that _sound_. I thought I was past this."

Concerned eyes held Asami's gaze. "Asami, are you ready to talk about it?"

"Korra, I…"

"Whenever you're ready. I'm always willing to listen."

Asami smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I guess I just...he's gone."

She took a breath, and turned to look at the crash. It wasn't as bad as it sounded, but that was only because one car had missed the passenger cabin of the second. A little faster and it could have been a disaster, and there was really nothing to protect the people inside.

But there had to be a way to protect them. Just making the metal stronger wasn't the way to go. It would just bang people up inside, and cost too much to make. But what if she could control the direction of the damage. Force the car to crumple _around_ people, instead of on them. Just like.. "Eggs!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Eggshells, Korra!" She grabbed for a napkin and pulled out a pen, scribbling furiously. "Due to their shapes they're pretty strong. You can't crush an egg by squeezing it. And if the curve is right you can direct the impact and protect people inside. People _die_ in car accidents. and a design like this in the hummingbirds could protect the pilots too."

Her voice caught in her throat. Korra squeezed her shoulder, waiting patiently.

"It was my fault. If I'd just _designed_ it better. Stronger frame, forced double ejection, _something_. He'd still be alive."

"Asami, it wasn't your fault. You had less than a week to work on those things. Didn't you tell me once it takes years from design to production? You didn't have years to test functionality, years to find ways to make it better. You guys saved the city."

"You did all the work."

"Without that opening, without your hummingbird and your father's sacrifice, we wouldn't have had that chance."

She nodded, swallowing. "I know. I know. Objectively I know but when I think about it it gets all messed up in my head."

That was a big admission for Asami Sato. Asami always tried to work through things in her head. Korra rubbed her hand down her arm. "Maybe you just need more time."

Finished with her scribblings, Asami held up her napkin. "Maybe. But I don't think that works as well for me. But I think I can fix it. Not for my dad, but in honor of him. And so other people don't have to feel the way I do."

Korra looked at the drawings. A new model Satomobile, and a completely redesigned hummingbird. She smiled, and kissed Asami on the cheek. "How can I help?"

She turned and wrapped her arms around Korra. "You already have. Thank you."


End file.
